


Christmas at the Life Foundation

by huxualorentation



Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Christmas, Pre-Movie, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-22 18:59:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17065301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/huxualorentation/pseuds/huxualorentation
Summary: Dr Everard Gooner, former mentor to Carlton Drake, attends the Life Foundation Christmas party and feels his heart bursting with pride. Surely, he thinks, such a brilliant and generous man as his former protégé is up to good things only.





	Christmas at the Life Foundation

**Author's Note:**

> MERRY CHRISTMAS! And, to those who don’t celebrate Christmas—lots of joy!
> 
> Also, no editing (e.g. no italics) and no apologies for that. I am in an academic career, but on here I want to write for fun; and I have a busy life. (And around Christmas I'm VERY busy: baking and cooking with my Italian family!)

The collectively made playlist for the Life Foundation Christmas party included The Irish Rovers’ 1982 song The Christmas Traveller, courtesy of a new hire who was Irish. Dr Everard Gooner, a distinguished professor who had been young Carlton Drake’s mentor and whom the now CEO treated with the greatest deference and affection, smiled fondly: the lyrics (that he knew well, the song being pretty old) had him thinking of Carlton, of how full of enthusiasm he had been as a student—positive that he could, and would, change the world, but humble and hard-working nonetheless.

A boy appeared up yonder road,  
A most peculiar sight to see  
He danced, and he sang, and he clapped his hands  
With a story of good tidings.  
“Come and sit beside the fire,” I called to this young man  
“What could bring this joyfulness?” I could not understand!  
His smile outshone the fire, and he looked me in the eye  
And he danced, and he sang, and he clapped his hands  
And he gave me this reply

An elegant and poised dancer he was proving himself right now, the handsome CEO; the perfect host. But, oh, Dr Gooner had seen him dancing messily with his friends on campus; laughing as one of them pulled him—their arms around each other’s waist to keep themselves steady as they laughed their heads off—towards Dr Gooner, and the others chanted “We dare you! We dare you! Dr Gooner, Carlton has a thing to tell you!”  
“Hey! Dr Gooner! Do you know what your first name means? It means ‘he who is always hard’!” screamed young Carlton at the top of his lungs, and then collapsed against his friend’s chest in convulsive laughter, and all of his buddies laughed and cheered, and Dr Gooner shook his head benevolently. Boys!

A king of all the kingdoms  
Our shelter from all storms

A king, that high-achieving jester had become. A leader who would use his power to make good things. A leader who passionately cared about those little things of great importance: there was mistletoe among the decorations, but he in person had made it clear that any man taking advantage of that to disrespect a woman would be fired. “A kiss without consent is sexual assault. You all know how I honour women and how I want my company to be the safest place possible for them: just bear it in mind at all times.”

Three men of stately origin with precious gifts were bearing  
They knelt before the newborn king in a holy light I saw...

Carlton was a grown man, and he was not being knelt before; actually, it was him who was kneeling a lot, sincere sweetness in his eyes, before the little kids brought to the party by their parents. But his bearing just commanded deference—and inspired trust and abandon, the desire to kneel at his feet and put one’s head on his lap. Dr Gooner smiled, as he thought of how the lyrics could be changed in order to become fitting for Carlton.

A world where there’s no cancer he has come to lead us to  
A perfect hero is living now, can you feel it too?  
I scarcely can believe my ears, the joy is in my heart  
For God has heard His people’s needs, and gave a brand new start

Well, obviously Carlton would not die nailed to a cross. Should Dr Gooner be forced to imagine a dramatic death for him, he would say, “In a fire.” A suitable death for a genius, to pass away wrapped up in flames: like a warlock, like a heretic.


End file.
